Patrick Starnes of the Independent Party said he backs Brown because she supports campaign finance reform. Starnes had made reform his centerpiece. Brown, who's facing Republican candidate Knute Buehler, said she was "totally honored and very tickled" by Starnes' endorsement.

"I'm particularly grateful for Mr. Starnes for endorsing me," Brown said in a joint telephone interview with Starnes. "I think that will certainly be a final push over the finish line."

The Kate Brown Committee has received almost $10.3 million in cash contributions; the Knute for Governor Committee $13.2 million, according to the Secretary of State's office.

It's unclear what effect Starnes' endorsement of Brown will have. He noted that results of the primary election showed that most Independent Party voters are conservative, with large write-in votes for Buehler and two other Republican candidates who were seeking the GOP nomination.

"I don't know if that's going to change how they vote. But if they recognize that campaign finance reform is our first priority, then hopefully they'll be realistic about their vote and vote for Gov. Brown," Starnes said.

Explaining why he chose Brown, Starnes said: "Well, you know how close the race is, and with the multi-million-dollar donations from one individual versus the collected donations from many working people, I felt like Gov. Brown was better at getting campaign finance reform across the finish line."

"We're both committed to amending the Constitution so Oregon is no longer one of the four or five states in the country that have no restrictions on campaign finance," Brown said.

She said she expects a "groundswell of support" from Oregonians after this election, which broke campaign finance records. (End AP article)

According to Jackson County Clerk Chris Walker, the announcement from Starnes amounts to little when it comes to the actual tabulation of votes.

The deadline for any candidate to withdraw from consideration passed in August — and while it is common enough for a candidate to "suspend" their campaign this late into an election, it has no effect on the election itself.

Votes cast for Starnes both before and after Tuesday will continue to be counted for Starnes. He will appear on the election results — and regardless of his endorsement of Brown, votes cast for him will be votes that did not go to Brown or Buehler.